Biden's brother hospitalized after opening envelope containing powder

Vice President Joe Biden's younger brother said Sunday that he was kept overnight at a Florida hospital after opening a suspicious package containing a powdery substance.

The envelope was mailed to Francis Biden's Ocean Ridge home. Biden, 57, told the Palm Beach Post that his girlfriend retrieved the manila envelope from his mailbox Saturday afternoon, but it was addressed to him and he opened it.

"It was mailed from India," Biden told the newspaper, but he said he did not know any more about its origins.

A white powder spilled from the envelope and onto his skin, Biden said.

He said he immediately called authorities, who evacuated neighbors and closed off the street.

Boynton Beach Fire-Rescue, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office bomb squad, the county fire-rescue's hazardous materials team, the U.S. Postal Service and the Secret Service responded to the call.

The bomb squad determined the package was not explosive.

The FBI issued a statement Saturday saying, "Preliminary tests indicate the contents of the package were deemed not to be threatening in nature."

Biden and his girlfriend were taken to a hospital. The woman was released Saturday and Biden was released Sunday morning.

"I was the only one who came in contact with the powder so they kept me," he said. "I'm fine."

APOPKA

Ex-officer charged in son's shooting

A retired Orlando police officer is charged with first-degree murder after police say he shot his son during an argument.

Miller told the Orlando Sentinel that 47-year-old Tim Davis Sr. had been arguing with his son Saturday over the custody of a grandchild. The argument escalated to a physical fight before gunshots were fired.

Davis was found crying and trying to care for his son, police said.

Davis retired from the Orlando police department in 2006 after 18 years on the force.

FORT WALTON BEACH

'Big brother' soldier, is laid to rest

A soldier killed in Afghanistan has been buried in the Florida Panhandle.

Authorities say a sheriff's deputy in northeast Florida shot a pit bull eight times after it attacked him.

According to the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, the dog had been involved in five previous incidents, including two dog bites.

The sheriff's office told the St. Augustine Record that Deputy Scott Wright responded to a complaint about an aggressive dog roaming free. Wright tried to subdue the dog with his baton before shooting it.